Job interviews may not always go as planned, but one man has revealed how a company’s expectations left him so horrified he laughed in the interviewer’s face. Unsurprisingly, his application wasn’t taken any further.
Redditor u/hamsterdandy opened up about the awkward encounter in a now-viral post, discussing the “absolutely insane” job expectations laid out during a Zoom interview. It had been advertised as full-time, but he was told that the hours weren’t guaranteed, and he might have to travel around the state in his own car. However, travel time wouldn’t be paid as “they consider it like a commute.”
After hearing all that, the 25-year-old from North Dakota told Newsweek that he “was done with it” and planned to politely sit through the remainder of the interview. But then the interviewer informed him that when traveling to different locations, he’d have to stay in a hotel of their choice—and even share a room with another employee who he wouldn’t have met previously.
The thought of bunking with someone else was beyond comprehension for u/hamsterdandy, and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

A stock image of a man during a job interview, looking perplexed by the interviewer. A Reddit user has revealed how the growing list of demands for one particular job role caused him to laugh directly at the interviewer.
imtmphoto/Getty Images
“Laughter has always just been my go-to reaction, so when she said I would be sharing a room with a stranger, I was shocked and I just laughed without thinking about it,” he told Newsweek. “I couldn’t believe that would be anyone’s policy or expectation.
“I’m not usually a rude person, but I was tired of spending hours on applications and going to interviews to find out they lied or misled in the advertisement. It was totally justified—imagine sharing a hotel room with a stranger.”
Following this unexpected reaction, the Redditor noticed that the interviewer appeared uncomfortable and stopped talking. She asked if he wished to continue with the interview, to which he replied, “God no,” and ended the Zoom call.
While it was the interviewer who felt the brunt of his reaction, u/hamsterdandy doesn’t blame her for the policy. He reasoned that she will have just been given the job from senior management.
“I remember hearing about using my own car and that I would probably not drive outside of North Dakota. That’s a lot of use on my personal vehicle, and then it also came out that the hours were completely unreliable,” he continued.
The Redditor had seen someone else post about a terrible interview, which encouraged him to share his experience that took place in 2023. Since the post was shared on October 24, it has gone viral with over 35,000 votes and 1,100 comments in a matter of days.
Thankfully, u/hamsterdandy is no longer looking for employment, and now works as a pharmacy technician.
He certainly wasn’t expecting his post to gain so much attention, and never imagined that it would go viral. But he hopes that his funny anecdote encourages more people to know their worth when looking for a job, and to not put up with policies that “should be illegal.”
He told Newsweek: “When million-dollar corporations are padding their profit margins by forcing people to use personal vehicles, share hotel rooms, and making it so they never know how big their next paycheck is going to be, something is wrong. The government is failing its workforce and ignoring the need for protections. There needs to be something done about it.”
The demands of the job horrified the internet, and with over 1,100 comments on the post already, plenty of people backed the Redditor for laughing.
One comment reads: “Every employer I’ve ever had booked 1 room per person. It’s a liability issue and the rooms are cheaper than a lawsuit. Pairing people up screams danger, and an organization that sees it differently shows they are running everything with high risk.”
Another Reddit user wrote: “No, when they say something utterly ridiculous, they deserve to be laughed at.”
“It’s a laughable offer to be fair,” added another comment.
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